Bitter & Esters Annual Holiday Gift Guide

Hey there homebrewers and beer lovers! Here is the 2018 guide to all the things you and your zythophile friends might need and/or want to satisfy Santa's unwavering need to make everyone happy. As always, we've got a few new options this year, with fun and useful gifts in every price range.

For the people you really love (i.e. yourself) ($130 - $499)

BrewLab Basic Water Test Kit

The BrewLab® Basic Kit for home brewers monitors 7 essential water quality factors. Experts agree that the quality of the water that you start with will affect your final product, so take the mystery out of making great tasting beer. Trust LaMotte, the water analysis experts since 1919, to help you control your most important ingredient ... water!

Tilt Floating Hydrometer - $140

Designed for home brewing, the Tilt is a wireless hydrometer that lets you instantly read your brew's specific gravity and temperature on your compatible Apple iPhone/iPad or Android smartphone/tablet or Tilt Pi. The Tilt hydrometer allows you to check the specific gravity and temperature of your beer while it's fermenting, without ever having to open your fermenter or pour out any of your precious brew. This makes brewing more consistent and easy to track.

Blichmann QuickCarb - $199

Have you ever thought to yourself, "why am I waiting 24 hours to let my beer carbonate? I need it now!" Thankfully, Blichmann has you covered on that front. The QuickCarb uses a simple circulating pump and a stainless steel diffusion stone to carbonate your beer quickly without a chance of accidentally overcarbonating. Interested in in-line oxygenation of your wort before pitching your yeast? Simply add an oxygen regulator and you're ready to go. This is a great gift for the advanced homebrewer who kegs.

Blichmann Riptide Pump - $209.99

The all new RipTide™ is the very first pump designed specifically for homebrewing! High performance curved blade impeller and strong rare earth magnets deliver 7 GPM and up to 21ft of pressure head! Integral air vent valve and partially enclosed impeller design allows you to prime the pump in seconds - no more frustrating air locked pumps!

Robobrew V3 All Grain Brewing System - $499

All in one brewing systems with recirculating pumps are where it's at. They make brewing simple and easy and get homebrewers doing all-grain earlier, many starting with their very first batch. The Robobrew is going to lead the charge with its amazing price point. The Robobrew is an all-in-one electric brewing system that has built in elements for heating and boiling, a built in pump for recirculation, an onboard water resistant control panel for setting and monitoring temperatures, a removable grain basket, and a built in spigot for transfering.

For the people you care deeply about ($40 - $99)

Cheesemaking Kits ($40)

You know what pairs well with beer? Homemade cheese! Take your pick from cheddar, gouda, colby, feta, parmesan, ricotta, or mozzarella. With a little effort, and a lot of fun you make your own cheese.

Kombucha Starter Kit

An easy, fun and cost-effective kit for making your very own kombucha at home! Everything you need to make your own delicious and healthful kombucha is inside: from instructions to ingredients to a jar to to brew it in, it's all there.

PH Meter

For the brewer that cares deeply about their water (something all of us should care deeply about) this PH meter will get them on their way. Typically used for measuring mash ph (acidity/alkalinity) this meter can be used for more than beer. If you've got an advanced brewer in the house, this is a great gift.

Immersion wort chiller - $69.99

This is the often the first thing we recommend for folks who are really getting serious about brewing. It’s the fastest way to cool your wort down and doesn’t involve moving 3-5 gallons of near-boiling wort from your stove to an ice bath. Our 25 foot immersion chiller is American made and will save you lots of time (and effort) on your brew day.

Blichmann Beer Gun - $99.98 (combined w/accessory kit)

Have you ever wanted to bottle a little bit of beer from your keg? Maybe for an upcoming BJCP approved homebrew contest? Then it's time to get a beer gun. The BeerGun is an innovative stainless bottle filler that is more ergonomic and less complex than a traditional counter-pressure filler. One-handed operation—just pull the trigger! Easily fill a growler of your kegged beer for a party or fill perfectly carbonated bottles for competition.

Small Batch Equipment Kits ($49.99-$99.99)

Not sure if your gift recipient is ready for a full on commitment to five gallons of beer? Help them get started at a slightly smaller scale with 1 or 2.5 Gallon equipment (and optional recipe). These are the perfect sizes for beginners and come with everything you need to get started. Additionally, all of our recipes come with step-by-step instructions so they're easy to follow.

Sodastream Fizzi Starter Kit ($99.99)

Seltzer is the greatest thing (next to beer of course) and we should all be drinking more of it, ideally on demand. Pick up a Fizzi and get drinking! We even offer refills in store for your CO2.

For the people who you love but don’t see often ($20 - $30)

Anvil Scale - $24.99

This high precision digital scale has a capacity of 4.4lb (2 KG) and a precision of 0.005 oz. (0.1g)! This makes it just about perfect for water salt measurements (i.e. Calcium Chloride, Gypsum), hops and specialty grains.

Brewing Books - $20 - $25

Bitter & Esters carries a full line of books on brewing. We usually recommend the classic How to Brew by John Palmer which really does cover most of what you’ll need know. Brewing Classic Styles offers good base recipes to learn from and adapt. Lastly, you can never go wrong with The Complete Meadmaker if you're looking to make the elixir of the gods.

Stocking Stuffers

Beer Soap - $7

Does your brewer lack the fine aromatic qualities of a well made beer? Beer Soap is the answer! Keep your brewer clean and smelling wonderful with some beer soap. Available in a variety of aromas and styles.

Beer Socks - 12$

Six different varieties of stylish and sudsy socks! These will not only keep your feet warm and separated from your shoes and/or the ground, they'll show that you're a true fashion icon who is not afraid to blaze their own trail.

Pluto Beverage Gun - $18

A more stylish option than the standard picnic tap, the Pluto Beverage Gun is great for dispensing beer out of kegs. It comes with a barb perfect for 3/16" or 1/4" tubing. The gun has a strong plastic body with a stainless steel barb, piston, and spring.

Tears of My Enemies Flask - $14.99

You're not afraid of a good time, are you? We know. This flask makes a great gift for anyone that has a sense of humor and is crafted with high-quality #304 stainless steel. Perfect for whiskey lovers, bourbon drinkers, scotch sippers, and anyone that has ever enjoyed a sneaky stash of booze. This would be an excellent gift paired with the bitters below.

Hella Bitters - $19.99

These handcrafted bitters come from the finest borough in the finest city and are quite delicious. These come in Aromatic, Orange, Chili, Citrus and Ginger for any kind of cocktail you can dream up.

Pocket thermometer - $25

A top performing digital thermometer that combines accuracy, speed of response and durability that can literally fit in your pocket (and/or protector). It has a five-inch stainless steel, heat resistant probe and digital quartz display, all of which is covered in an anti-microbial coating. It is completely waterproof and dishwasher safe.

Gift Certificates

As always, if you just can't figure out what your homebrewer wants for Christmas, there is always the humble (yet beloved) gift certificate. It says I care, and that I trust you to make your own decisions in life.